BARREL DIPLOMACY: Saudi Arabia Pledges to Support Oil Markets. “U.A.E. has also previously said it is willing to boost exports to meet any supply shortage.”

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was pulling out of a multilateral deal that removed sanctions on Tehran in exchange for Iran abandoning its nuclear ambitions. Washington indicated new U.S. sanctions would limit Iranian exports of crude, although officials didn’t provide specifics.

Saudi Arabia, long a regional rival to Iran and a fierce competitor for global oil market share, quickly telegraphed its willingness to step in. It has limited its own output since 2016, as part of a pact among big producers to help lift prices.

In the wake of Washington’s decision, Saudi Arabia issued a statement saying it remained “committed to supporting the stability of oil markets.” It said that, along with other big producers, the country would help “mitigate the impact of any potential supply shortages” caused by the new sanctions.

The Saudis opened the spigots wide in the 1980s, helping the West to undercut the Soviet economy. And with oil prices already on the rise, now they can undercut Iran while still filling their own coffers.